Dead-Wolf: Derek Hale
by firefaeshenanigans
Summary: Cora is dying, the alpha pack is closing in, and Derek's running out of ideas. Until Deaton shows up unexpectedly with a not so unfamiliar stranger he claims is the answer to their prayers. [DerekXOC]
1. Thurisaz

_Disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated with Teen Wolf._

* * *

_**"If love is what you need, then a solider I be."- The Cab**_

* * *

Thurisaz: [1]

**Peter POV**

"Hey, Doc. Uh..what are you doing here?"

I heard Scott say, 'causing me to look up from the book I had been reading. The vet nodded, acknowledging Scott's greeting, walking the rest of the way into the room.

"Now's really not the time." I warned, nodding my head in Derek's direction where he sat brooding over Cora's current condition.

"That's actually why I'm here. I know someone that could possibly help."

A low growl emitted itself from Derek's corner of the room.

"And you're just deciding to share this now?!" My nephew yelled, his voice filling the room.

The vet instinctively took a step back, heaving a sigh.

"Well my contact here is rather good at now being found." He said nodding behind him.

A tall figure seeming to appear out of the shadows themselves came sauntering forward with quiet calculated steps, a hood obscuring their features. A pale hand reached up, pushing back the hood revealing an equally pale face that stood in stark contract against a shock of unruly ginger hair. She was striking and I couldn't shake the familiarity of the stranger's seemingly unreadable face.

Hearing my nephew's breath hitch and heart rate increase from where he had came to stand beside me only made that feeling grow. The woman shifted, capturing my gaze. Gold eyes starting into blue and that's when it hit me.

_Those eyes._

So gold that they appeared to be glowing and surrounded by a ring of deep blood red.  
My stomach dropped and my heart found it's way into my throat as the words feel from my lips.

"Is that you, Little Wolf?" Hearing Derek step forward, signalling to me our shared thought, our shared hope.

A familiar smile broke out across the woman's face, momentarily making me forget how to breath.

"But how is that- How are you- I watched you die." Derek sputtered out, his words running together, 'causing the betas in the room to look to their alpha in confusion, in shock of how small his voice sounded.

The woman ripped her eyes from me, turning them on my broken nephew, her face matching his own as the guilt came of her in waves. I watched as Derek closed the distance between them in three short strides pulling her to him, holding her tightly almost as if he feared she'd disappear back into the shadows. He buried his face into her fire-y hair, sniffing back the tears I knew had already fallen down my cheek.

"God, it's you." He whispered. "It's really you."

She nodded, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"It's me, Der. It's me." Came her muffled but ever strong voice, a sound that hadn't graced my ears in over six years, sending my heart right into my stomach.

Not wanting to impose on the two's much deserved reunion but not being able to help myself I strode over to them, grabbing them both into a hug, 'causing the girl I had always seen as my daughter to laugh as she leaned back into me. And from the smile that graced my nephew's face I knew he had missed hearing that beautiful sound of her melodious laughter just as much as I.

Reluctantly I pulled back facing the confused but sympathetic faces in the room before my eyes came to rest on the vet. Not wanting to ruin the moment but not being able to hold back the thought anymore, I stared him down.

"Is this borrowed time? Or is this permanent?"

Before the man could even open his mouth Aeyden cut him off.

"Sorry, Petey. But you're stuck with me this time."

I laughed, a smirk forming on my lips at her mocking.

"Good."

"Not to put a damper on this love fest, and no offense intended, but what exactly is an omega supposed to do for us?" Issac said in his ever arrogant tone.

Aeyden rolled her eyes, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket, giving Derek a look that said, 'I'll be on the porch, come find me once you've dealt with the runts," turning on her heel and leaving the room. Derek huffed, turning on Issac, but before he could even begin to rip the beta a new one, a low angry growl came from the direction of the porch 'causing everyone to look up startled at the sheer ferocity of it. The vet was slowly backing away from the direction of the porch, his heart rate erratic.

"Looks like she's seen the door." He said, crossing his arms to try and keep his hands from shaking.

"You didn't think to mention the alpha pack?"

"I knew there were things I couldn't tell her and she needed all the facts before storming in there. She needed a strategy."

"Oh, you're a dead man." Shaking my head, I laughed, quickly joining the rest of the room on the porch.

Aeyden growled, a low menacing growl, at the alpha pack's symbol that was scratched into the door, her claws lengthening as she spoke.

"I know you can hear me and I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up, you sick son of a bitch!"

"Oh, I like her." I heard Stiles mutter from behind Scott, shrugging as everyone gave him the, 'if you know what's good for you then you'll shut up,' look.

"You've threatened my family, my mate, and his pack..." She said digging her claws into the wood of the door, dragging them over top of the alpha pack's symbol, creating what looked like a thurisaz rune.

Realization hit me of what the symbol was, for it only to be confirmed by the now very anxious vet that was looking everywhere but my eyes.

There was destruction on the horizon and she was the storm.

"You wanted power, you wanted a true alpha? Well, come and claim me!" She dared.

A strong howl from the distance met her words as an answer and I watched as the gold in her eyes disappeared leaving behind a glowing red. Whipping her head into the direction of the howl, her fangs extending letting loose a howl of her own to rip through the night in return, as if to say She was _the _alpha, She was _the Dead-wolf, _and She was coming.


	2. Haunted

_Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not affiliated with Teen Wolf in any way, I don't own it.  
__Shout out to: If-We-Burn-You-With-Us123, you're excitement got me excited about this story again, thank you!_

* * *

**_"We've seen our share of ups and downs  
Oh how quickly life can turn around  
In an instant- Creed"_**

* * *

Haunted: [2]

Aeyden went down willingly, onto her knees in submission, as Kate placed the gun to her forehead.

"You always loved him didn't you?" Kate laughed, her face twisting up into her sick version of a smile.

"And he never saw it. He was too occupied by the thought of _me_ in his bed, to worry about _you_, let alone hunters. Too blinded by what he wanted to see that he missed all the warnings signs, falling right into my trap. The irony of it all, it could keep me going for a lifetime."

Aeyden bit back a growl, her stomach twisting in a rage. Kate was baiting her, that much was obvious. She offered no retort, much to Kate's disappoint. Clenching her fists tight, digging her now extended claws into the her palms to keep from fully shifting, as she silently weighed her options. She could easily break the hunter's neck and get out of there, but at what cost? Surely that would raise suspicions, make the others ask the question why she had waited so long to break free if she had been able to do so all along. _No._ She had to keep the focus the on her, she had to make them believe they'd won, long enough for him to get away.

But Aeyden wasn't stupid. She had no doubt those bullets were laced with wolfsbane. And it didn't matter how strong the wolf, a wolfsbane bullet to the brain, that wasn't something you came back from.

But this was for him, _this was for Derek._

Aeyden exhaled sharply, a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she pushed her forehead flush against the barrel of the gun. Her gaze never wavered, she may have been playing the submissive role, but she had the power here, and she would never give Kate the impression otherwise. Aeyden heard the hammer of the gun click and couldn't help but wonder why a trained hunter wouldn't already have their gun cocked. Had she planned something like this, hoped for it maybe?

She knew Derek was nearby, she could feel him. So with his smile on her mind and his voice in her ears she finally closed her eyes, using her last breath as a final plea. "Forgive me."

The shot rang through the woods. Derek knees hit the forest floor, his head in his hands, as if the bullet had echoed . And maybe it had.  
His family was gone, her family was gone, she was gone. He had nothing left. Derek was alone.

"Forgive me." She had said.

_Forgive Me._

* * *

Derek's shot up in bed, reeling from the same nightmare he'd had so many times before. _Forgive Me._ The words haunted him, still ringing through his ears even now.

He had hated her. Hated her for not finding another way, hated her for having to be so infuriatingly heroic, but most of all he hated her for leaving him. It had taken him years to stop being angry with her, for him to understand what she had truly done for him, _why_ she had done it. Aeyden had sacrificed herself for him, had taken a bullet for him and unknowingly done so for Laura and Cora as well because he was her mate. And with her dying breath she had begged his forgiveness.

Derek heaved a sigh, shoving his face into his hands trying to quell his restless mind.

"Derek?"

His head shot up in the direction where the voice had came from, only to find Aeyden leaning against the door frame to his bedroom. He tilted his head at her in a questioning manner, still finding it hard to believe she was actually here, that she was in fact alive. She fiddled with her hair, pulling the half braided mess back into a bun at the nape of her neck,before crossing her arms.

"Your, uh, heartbeat was erratic. I, uh-"

She trailed off, sending him a worried look, before crossing the threshold, making her way over to the bed and sitting beside him. Derek couldn't help but lose himself in the sight before him, he had so many questions, so many things he needed to say, but where did he even begin? He was brought out of his internal struggle by her shifting on the bed. His breath caught in his throat as she leaned her forehead against his own. He sighed, leaning into her, astonished at how the simple gesture put him at ease. Whether that was the mate bond or just her, Derek didn't know, he suspected it was a bit of both.

"You dreamt of the fire."

Aeyden hadn't meant it as a question, that was evident by her tone. He thought about denying it, but all his resolve flew out the window when he finally met her eyes. Her eyes had always been the subject of talk, at school the kids would whisper about the weird girl with the demon eyes, in the streets mothers would tuck their children into their sides as she passed. But Derek had only ever seen them for what they were, _beautiful_, just like her. But the eyes that he found staring back at him tonight were different, they didn't seem to catch the light like the once had, the red spilling into the gold more than he ever remembered, threatening to overtake it.  
They were _haunted_, just like his own.

"How did you know?"

"Because every time I close my eyes, I can see them burning."

Derek swallowed hard, pulling her body flush against his, wrapping her up safe in his arms. Aeyden understood his pain, she had always understood his pain. She saw him, she _knew_ him.

"I see you." He confessed. "And I swear I can still hear the gunshot ringing in my ears when I open my eyes."

Her hands clenched into tight fists around Derek's tank top, pulling him closer to her, whispering her remorse into his neck. Derek's body stiffened at the amount of guilt she seemed to harbor, pulling back from her ever so slightly, so that he could see her face.

"Hey, Aeyden look at me." He said sliding his index finger under her chin, tilting her face so he could see her eyes once again.

The expression he was met with successfully extinguished any anger left residing in him over her past decision. It was clear to him now it wasn't just him her death had left broken. Until now he had never thought of what it must have been like to have been the one staring down the barrel of the gun, knowing those were your final moments. Was she afraid, had she found relief? But in the end she hadn't even been able to find peace in death.

"There's nothing to forgive." He said, kissing her forehead before promptly lowering his mouth on to hers.

There was a sense of urgency to the kiss, a hunger, as if to say 'I'm not losing you this time.'  
Derek let out a growl against her lips, his wolf swelling with pride that his mate had not rejected his advance, only to receive one from her in return. He felt her smile against his lips before pulling back and placing her head on his chest. Derek brought his arms back around her, placing his chin on top of her head, as he laid back against the headboard bringing her with him.

"Besides." Derek voice suddenly broke the silence, causing Aeyden to lift her head up from his chest to look at him. "I would have done the same."

Aeyden offered him a small smile before returning to her previous position, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"I know, Derek. I know."

* * *

_A/N: This one was all sorts of heavy, sorry. So what did you think of Aeyden's 'infuriatingly heroic' (as Derek likes to put it) death?__  
Thank you all so very very much to those of you that reviewed, followed, and faved, it means a lot!_


	3. Nostalgia

_Disclaimer__: As Always I don't own Teen Wolf. Only my OC Aeyden Nord and my plot._

* * *

**_"But I'm holding out that there's hope alive  
'Cause if there once was love, then maybe something survived- Sam Tsui"_  
**

* * *

Nostalgia [3]

Derek woke to the sun streaming through his window, warming his face. Yawning and trying to stretch found him pinned in place. Looking down to the arm that was wrapped tightly around his waist, even in her sleep she had a vice grip.

Derek let his gaze follow down the length of the pale arm to finally rest on its owner's face. He couldn't help but get lost in the sight before him. Aeyden in all her disheveled glory, her flame-hair strewn out across his chest, the creases of the pillow having left behind impressions on her cheek.

A small smile pulled at Derek's lips as he brushed away some of the waves that were obscuring her face, chuckling when she scrunched up her nose, burying her face into the pillow, mumbling what he thought sounded like, 'I will punch you in the dick.' Derek rolled his eyes at her threat, though taking comfort in that some things never changed.

"Well isn't that just _sweet_." Peter said, leaning on the doorframe, a knowing grin on his face. "Honestly, you're giving me a toothache."

If Derek hadn't heard her heart rate pick up he would have sworn the pillow that went flying through the air, smacking his uncle unceremoniously in the face had been thrown in her sleep.

"_Rude_, what exactly did I do to deserve such treatment?" Peter said dramatically causing his nephew to roll his eyes, he even saw Aeyden's eyelids twitch signalling she had as well.

"Oh please, I could _hear_ that smug grin of yours." She replied, not even bothering to open her eyes. "So unless there was something you needed...I think I'm perfectly content to lay right here." Aeyden grumbled, tightening her grip around Derek's waist trying to relish in the comfort just a little while longer before she had to get up and face the chaos that was the alpha pack.

"Oh no." Peter said grabbing the comforter and yanking it from the bed like he used to do to the pair when they were younger.

Talia, being like the girl's second mother, always took care of her when the Nords went out of town which always resulted in Derek and Aeyden staying up way too late on a school night, playing video games and drinking way too much soda, until they finally crashed on each other and then Peter or whoever got to them first would end up dragging them to Derek's room, 'cause the pair were attached at the hip, it was ritual of sorts for the family.

Aeyden growled, shooting up in bed as she grabbed for the comforter. She never was much of a morning person.  
Peter tauntingly threw the comforter to the other side of the room.

"It's almost noon, you two have left me alone with those infuriating teenagers long enough, so up you go."

"Aw, is the big bad wolf afraid of a few pups?" Aeyden sassed, crossing her legs, leaning her elbow on her thigh with her head cocked to the side in a mocking manner as it rested against her palm.

Peter rolled his eyes at her mocking but couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips at the familiarity of the scene unfolding before him. He jerked his index finger in an upward motion, telling them to get up one last time, before turning to walk out the door.

Aeyden stretched her arms high above her head, looking more like a cat than the fierce she-wolf that her flesh housed.

"I guess we should go rescue Peter from the scary teenagers." She sighed, sending a wink in Derek's direction when she caught him staring.

Derek rolled his eyes at her but couldn't suppress the grin tugging at his lips as he pulled himself out of the bed to follow her retreating form.

"So- Can I um.."

Derek heard Scott's voice carry from the porch, he followed it out figuring he'd find the rest of them out there too.

"Spit it out, kid." Aeyden said resting her chin on her knees, rolling her eyes at Peter who sat beside her on the steps, the teenagers standing awkwardly in the yard in front of them.

Derek came and took his place behind Aeyden, leaning against the banister, crossing his arms across his chest. Aeyden instinctively leaned back against his legs, searching for comfort. Now that their wolves had had contact the pull would become stronger, harder to satiate.

The teenagers shifted on their feet uncomfortably. It was hard not to feel a little standoffish, supernatural creature or not. The older, natural born wolves, that had aligned themselves in front of them were a little more than intimidating on their own but together- they were terrifying.

The boys shared a look before silently electing Stiles to speak their piece.  
I mean she wouldn't kill a human, _right?_ Especially the sheriff's son.

Stiles didn't seem so convinced in their argument though, shooting them a dark look when Isaac all but shoved him forward.  
Aeyden raised an eyebrow at the boy as he stepped forward, his nerves like a thick fog rolling off him. Giving him what she hoped to be a reassuring smile, she nodded to him telling him to continue.

"So.. How is it you, uh, rose from the dead, exactly?" Stiles asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"By stealing the life force from defenseless innocents."

Stiles' eyes widened as he subconsciously took a step away from her, swallowing hard.

"..._Kidding_." Aeyden said, rolling her eyes at the very gullible human boy in front of her.

"How do you people say stuff like that with such a straight face?" He sputtered out, waving his arms around wildly, gesturing from the Hales to Aeyden. "I'm surrounded by sociopaths."

"I resent that, my charm is all real."

Aeyden let out an amused scoff, shaking her head at Peter's sass.

"Whatever makes you feel better, Petey." She said patting him on the shoulder in a patronizing manner, only to receive a glare in return.

"That hurts, Aeyden." He said, sarcastically clutching his hand to his chest where his heart would be.

"But really though-" Isaac said, raising up from his squatting position, 'causing everyone to turn in his direction. "You were dead, like six feet under, dead…"

"That is correct." Aeyden said, nodding at her mate's beta.

"And now you're _un_-dead…?" He said finishing his thought.

"Un-dead? Like a zombie?" Stiles butted in, sounding a little too excited about his connection, 'causing everyone to collectively roll their eyes at him.

"What? I mean I'm surrounded by supernatural creatures right now and you're telling me zombies aren't real?" He said yet again wildly waving his arms around like an idiot.

"If you so much as think about making the, 'aim for the head,' joke, I will end you." Peter warned, turning his glare on Stiles, the boy gulping in return confirming Peter's thoughts that he had been doing just that.

"Been there, done that." Aeyden grumbled, giving Derek an apologetic smile for her word choice, as he visibly winced at the mention of her getting shot _again._

* * *

_A/N: It's been over 2 months and I apologize. I was taking finals and working out all my stuff for transferring in the fall, but the bright side? I have my associate's degree, yesh!  
I wanted this chapter to be longer (apparently I'm only good for writing short chapter ^^;;) and have more information about her, but decided I needed to get something out here ya know? And this had been sitting in my google drive written for a good month, so I decided to break what I intended to put into this chapter into two so that I could get something out for you guys._  
_That being said, I have been writing on this a lot, I got a lot of ideas for season 3, so I kinda just stuck with how to get myself there for awhile but I think I'm getting back on track.  
Thank you to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and followed. I really appreciate it, it keeps me going. 3_  
_-AeydenOrion_


	4. Abandoned

_Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Teen Wolf, just Aeyden and my plot. _  
_Shout Out to DerekHaleSiriusBlack1103 for the review! Also I like your username x3_

* * *

_**"She knew she was by him beloved; she knew -**_  
_**For quickly comes such knowledge- that his heart**_  
_**Was darkened with her shadow-" -Lord Byron**_

* * *

Abandoned [4]

"Alllright-" Scott started slowly. "All that aside. You were dead and not you're not. How does that work exactly?"

Aeyden huffed a sigh.  
She knew this was coming, this was the part she had been dreading. Would they still want her help once they learned what she could do, what she was capable of, what she _had done?  
_Would _Derek _still want her around once he realized she'd been alive all this time? Would he understand that her keeping him in the dark about her return was only for his own good? Would that even matter? Would it make a difference that she had kept an eye on him when she could? That she even got Deaton to check on Peter for her? Or would the betrayal cut too deep?  
She really had abandoned him, hadn't she?

"Deucalion let his thirst for power cloud his judgement and in his haste- he left a survivor.  
It was a small pack, he figured it would be easy to over throw, to persuade the alpha to his side, and it was. But what he didn't take into account was the pack's emissary. He hadn't expected the small pack of Were-Coyotes to even have one, let alone that she was more than human. And he certainly wasn't prepared for a witch with a bloodline like hers.

"In mere hours he had taken everything from her- because of him her friends, her family, her fiancee, her purpose- all slaughtered. So she fashioned herself a new purpose. Deucalion underestimated a broken soul's thirst for revenge-"

Aeyden paused, taking in a deep breath, as she sent a sympathetic glance in Peter's direction before continuing on.

"The emissary watched everything she loved in this world die. And well- you know what they say about a woman scorned-"

"Hell hath no fury."

Erica cut in as she and Boyd broke the treeline, still looking a little worse for wear from their impromptu rescue from earlier in the week. In all honesty, they were lucky to be alive. And if it hadn't been for Derek's little sister Cora taking the grunt of the Alpha Pack's attacks and if Derek hadn't gotten to them when he did, well- they probably wouldn't be.

Aeyden nodded at the young wolf, letting her calculating gaze fall on the the two teens in front of her. They may have been her mate's betas but they held no loyalty to her- or her them for that matter.  
If there was a kink to be found in their armor, she would find it. And she would buff it _out_.

"But what's that have to do with you?" Stiles asked, clearly intrigued now as he sat down indian style on the ground in front of her, the young wolves following suit.

"She needed a vessel-" Aeyden sighed. "And I just so happened to fit the bill."

"So it was all just random luck-?" Isaac asked skeptically, 'causing Aeyden to release a bitter laugh at his choice of the word luck.

"Luck? Hah- No. She knew me. Well- she knew of me. Ceridwen and my mother's emissary were old friends, both from similar bloodlines of witches. Lyra, my mother's emissary, believed me to be the next in line for alpha, said I was a natural. Said that it was almost like I had already come into the alpha status-"

"A true alpha." Peter stated, a proud half-smirk tugging at his lips. "Though rare, a wolf will rise to the status of an alpha by their own will. Theoretically it would have made you the perfect choice, the perfect weapon. Having such raw power to begin with, you would be the perfect vessel for a powerful spirit. And the power of the Dead-Wolf on top of that-" He trailed off, shaking his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

Aeyden nodded, taking a moment to take in all of the faces around her, confusion, intrigue, sadness, but mostly pity. She wasn't sure if she was ready for the aftermath, but the soothing touch of Derek's hand coming to rest on her shoulder gave her the strength to keep plowing forward.

"Though that power was also her downfall later on- but you're right, it did make me the perfect tool for her revenge. And for awhile, I was.

Her power alone wasn't enough, so she found aid in the very tree the spirit was trapped in, the Nemeton. By sacrificing the blood of three souls who were pure of heart and giving years of her own life, she was able to release the spirit of the last Dead-Wolf that had been sealed into the tree some years previous, and transferred it into me."

Aeyden paused, exhaling sharply through her nose, shaking her head in shame.

"And for four years, I _was _that weapon. Blindly murdering people, simply because it was her will."

"So- kinda like the Kanima?"

Boyd offered, his lips pulling into a thin line, but the sympathetic look in his eyes gave way his true feelings on the situation.  
He knew what it was like to be used to hurt people. He and Erica may have only been used as bait to lure in Derek, but nonetheless he understood what that could do to a person. A month at most he had been trapped there in that bank vault, a month. He couldn't fathom _four years _of being trapped in his own body.

Aeyden felt Derek's body stiffen from where she sat leaned against his legs.

"How long after you died did she bring you back?"

And there is was.  
The realization evident in his voice. He _knew, _he just wanted her to confirm it. Though the tone of his voice was all but begging her to tell him he was wrong, that her of all people, hadn't left him alone. He _needed _her to tell him he was wrong, but she couldn't.

Aeyden closed her eyes, a strained breath forcing itself from her lungs, as she racked her brain for the right words. But what were the right words? What was the right way to say, _'Hey Der! I've been alive all these years, but I didn't tell you. But hey! It was all for your own good 'cause a witch summoned a dark spirit into me and had control over my body. And I just couldn't trust myself not to kill you,'_? There was no right way, there were no words, so in the end she just went with the direct approach.

"About six months."

"Six months?" He asked, barely above a whisper. But you could hear it plain as day, the hurt, the betrayal in his voice.

Taking that as their cue, the wolves with the exception of Peter, and Stiles made their way inside, leaving the 'adults' to themselves.

"You've been alive all this time?" Derek finished, dangerously low.

And just like that he flipped his switch, not allowing himself to feel the hurt, but instead he let his anger grow. His anger with her choices, his anger with her, but mostly his anger with himself for allowing himself to trust yet another person so completely only to be betrayed again.  
Because that was his coping mechanism after all, _the anger. _It's how he survived after the fire. He pushed everyone and everything away. And now his body had went into autopilot, his hurt willing him to push away the one person that was never supposed to destroy him once, let alone twice, his mate.

"Of course you were. And never once did it cross your mind to come back, to call, to write?"

"Derek, I'm sure she has her reasons. Maybe-" Peter began, only to be cut off by his nephew's unbelieving scoff.

Peter always seemed to have her back, to take her side. Aeyden sent him a grateful smile, which in reality looked more like a grimace, before turning back to Derek.

"Reasons? As if any reason she could give would make up for it, Peter. She _chose_ to die, she _chose_ to leave, and she _chose _not to come back for us. You were my best friend, you were supposed to be different. You were supposed to be better than _her. _But you're not are you? She destroyed my family and you de-"

"Don't you **e****_ver _**compare me to_ Kate Argent, _Derek Hale." Aeyden spat, her eyes turning a cold glare on him, as she stood so that they were now face to face.

"But you're right, I did choose to die. And it was the hardest decision that my _16_ year old self had ever had to make, but I made it. I had nothing left. My home gone, my family gone, _all _of my family gone-" She said with a pointed look at him and Peter before barreling on, completely ignoring Derek's sneer.

"And when I saw Kate," She spat out the offending name like it burned, "traipsing about with her gun slung over her shoulder like she had won that million dollar vacation on Jeopardy, _I lost it._ I can still hear her yelling out for you in that repugnant voice of hers, _'Oh, Derek! C'mere, boy. Come one Derek, come out, come out where-ever you are.' _-" Aeyden imitated the huntress, a growl slipping out of her throat.

"I saw red. I jumped her, taking her down to the ground with every intention of killing that bitch where she lay. But she yelled out- alerting the other hunters with her, and they left their posts- they had all been looking for you, to come to her aid. I realized then I was going to die, but I wasn't about to go out for nothing.

"Figured I was gonna die anyway, the least I could do was give one of us a chance to make it out of there. So I let myself become her prey- made myself an easy mark, for _you_."

Peter watched as his nephew came unglued letting loose a roar of a growl at his mate, getting right down in her face, though Aeyden met his every threat with one of her own, her eyes glowing a deep crimson red in response to his as she stood her ground.

"If you wanted to help me, you shouldn't have abandoned me!" He was yelling now, anger having consumed them both. "And then you come waltzing back into my life only to tell me you abandoned me _again_!"

"You think I didn't want to come back?!" He scoffed, turning his own glare on her, clearly saying, 'well you didn't.'

"I wasn't supposed to come back, Derek! I was never meant to be anything more than a vessel, an empty shell to house the spirit of the Dead-Wolf. But somehow part of my memories held on. It took me four years Derek, _four fucking years,_ to even break through and another to gain enough control to kill the witch-" She said, letting out a frustrated growl despite her eerily calm voice.

"So don't you think for one damn minute I wouldn't have been here if I could. I just- I just couldn't trust myself that the darkness wouldn't take hold again, I just couldn't take that risk." She finished, her voice barely above a whisper, as she slumped down against the porch.

Peter had never seen Aeyden look so- _small, _so_ helpless. _He of all people knew what it felt like to lose themselves to the darkness, to be all but drowning in it. But somehow here she was, all grown-up, hardly anything left of the spunky sixteen year old girl he remembered. Here she stood pouring out everything of the truly horrific life she had led after the fire, all out on the table so bravely, and all his nephew could hear was that she had left, that she hadn't returned- no part of his thick skull seeming to grasp that it was her only option, and that it seemed to all but destroy her that she didn't, couldn't have done anything different. All because she _had_ to save him.

Aeyden shot up, wiping the back of her hand across her cheeks, to rid herself of tears she hadn't even realized had fallen as she stared back into Derek's hard but wavering face.

"Look, I don't know what else to say. You want to hate me? Fine, hate me. But at least let me help you, after that I'll leave. If that's what you want just say the word and I'm gone." She muttered, leaning into Peter's embrace when he slung his arm around her shoulders.  
"But right now, Cora is my priority."

Derek watched as she and his uncle shouldered past him, Peter not so subtlety ramming his own shoulder against him, telling him without words of his disappointment in him. Aeyden keeping her face buried in his uncle's neck as she ignored his desperate attempts to bring her back.

_Damnit, _he thought_, I compared her to Kate._

* * *

_A/N: Whoa guys, it's a day shy of a month, which makes it kinda early. I'm sorry I suck at updating. :/  
But I had been dreading writing this part for a long time, because even though it was only logical they have this argument, I just hate hurting Derek anymore than the poor guy already is.  
But I'm actually kinda happy with this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy.  
Reviews are always welcome, thanks for reading!  
-AeydenOrion_


	5. Mistletoe

_Shout outs to: DerekHaleSiriusBlack1103, Black Wolf Lady, and guest: fairy 19 for their lovely reviews!_  
_Disclaimer: I still don't own Teen Wolf, just my OC and my ideas._

* * *

_**"That's the thing about pain," Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. "It demands to be felt." - John Green**_

* * *

Mistletoe: [5]

Peter led Aeyden through what was left of the charred living room and up the stairs to one of the few rooms, like Derek's, that didn't suffer as much damage from the fire.

Aeyden knelt down at Cora's side, taking a hold of her hand to relieve her of some pain as she wiped black blood from the side of her mouth.

"How long has it been in her system?" She asked as she brought the black substance up to her nose to try and isolate the poison by scent.

"Going on three days now. We still don't know how they drugged her, but she reeked of Kali when we found her." Peter answered, his nose snarling up as he watched Aeyden touch her tongue against his niece's body's latest attempt to heal itself.

"God Aeyden did you really ha-"

"Mistletoe." She said to herself, her eyes kind of glazed over as she seemed to drift off into her thoughts, paying no mind to the fact that the black veins from taking Cora's pain that were still winding up her arm were starting to make her hands shake.

"Aeyden, stop."

Peter looked over his shoulder to find his nephew's concerned face locked on the black veins crawling up his mate's arm and then back to Aeyden who didn't seem to hear him, her face twisted up in concentration.

"Aeyden, STOP." Derek said, moving to make his way over to her only to be stopped short by Peter, who gave him a pointed look as he laid a hand on Aeyden's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Aeyden, Derek's right. That's enough." Peter said, pulling her arm back from Cora's. "You know what the poison is?"

"Mistletoe."

"Can you help her?"

Aeyden turned to meet Derek's gaze, giving him a stiff nod.

"Yeah, _I _can." She said turning her eyes back on her mate's dying sister. "But it's not gonna be easy."

* * *

"Cora-"

Derek watched his mate brush his little sister's sweat soaked hair from her forehead and out of her eyes, so gently, so lovingly.

Cora's eyes inched open ever so slightly at the mother-like touch of someone's fingers smoothing her hair.

"Mom?"

The three older wolves let out a collective breath at the dying child speaking out for Talia, closing their eyes to collect themselves.

"No, hunny. It's Aeyden, do you remember me?"

Cora's brows furrowed partially from thought, partly from the pain that was starting to come back full force as she she stared at the woman in front of her.

"Aeyden? Derek's- Aeyden Nord? I thought you were-" She rambled out, obviously confused, sounding a lot like Derek had when he saw Aeyden again for the first time.

Aeyden nodded, giving the young wolf's hand a soft squeeze.

"It's a long story that I'll tell you when you're better, Cor. But right now lets just focus on _getting_ you better, okay? Because as much as you pestered me and Derek growing up, I much prefer you hiding my video games and your sassy attitude than you spitting up black blood on me." Aeyden teased, her voice wavering slightly near the end, as she gestured to her now ruined tank top covered in the vile smelling substance.

Cora cracked a small, weak smile at Aeyden before her eyes found her Uncle and finally came to rest on her brother, who was splitting his gaze equally between the two females.

Aeyden moved to sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle the young wolf, not wanting to cause anymore unnecessary pain.

"Cora- this is gonna hurt." Aeyden said, giving the girl a regretful smile as her eyes widened ever so slightly at the lengthening of the older wolf's claws.

"You ready?"

Cora managed a small nod, before closing her eyes, as if to prepare herself for the on coming pain.

"Hold her legs still." Aeyden ordered Derek and Peter, who quickly moved to the bottom of the bed, each securing one of Cora's legs.

Aeyden grabbed the young wolf's forearms in a death grip, plunging her claws deep into the flesh there.  
Cora thrashed her legs against the male wolves' hold as she snarled with a power they hadn't seen in her in days as the new pain coursed through her body.

Peter watched as the young Alpha's head fell back, like she felt his niece's pain herself, as black blood ran down both the females' arms.  
A low growl emitted from Aeyden's throat, confirming his thought that she had in fact been taking his niece's pain, as he and his nephew watched the black veins once again travel up her arms.

Aeyden and Cora's eyes shot open at the same time, blood red boring in gold, a determination coming through the pain on her face as the Alpha willed the young Beta better.

Now Peter understood. He understood why Aeyden had so heavily insisted, all but refused to let Derek be the one to heal Cora. She was using her Alpha spark to heal her, but unlike Derek she was a true alpha, hers couldn't be taken away. No matter how he felt about her in the moment she couldn't let him lose that, not when she knew it made him feel so close to his mother, to Talia. Always, she was always looking out for him.

Aeyden threw her head back, a pain-filled howl leaving her throat, and Derek and Peter watched in awe as her eyes flashed Beta blue before once again burning a violent Alpha red.

Cora's thrashing was becoming weaker, her eyes no longer glowing gold, and just when Derek thought they were losing her he saw it, dark red blood running down her arm.  
Aeyden's shoulders slumped in exhaustion as she released her grip on the young wolf's arms, wiping her bloody hands on her jeans. She jerked her head up when a small hand closed around her own to find Cora's tired eyes on her.

"You know, I always gave them back- e_ventually_." Cora said referring to Aeyden's previous statement.

Aeyden snorted, shaking her head at her mate's sister with amusement.

"Get some sleep, Cor." Aeyden said, patting her on the shoulder as she stood up on shaky legs.

Derek quickly caught her by the upper arm before she could fall, pulling her back into his chest to support her. Peter watched as his nephew tried to pick her up only to have her smack him away, grumbling about how she wasn't a child and that she could walk, much to his amusement and approval because as far as he was concerned his idiot nephew deserved a bit of the cold shoulder.

"You need to lay down Aeyden, you're shaking." Derek said, not letting her rejection deter him, concern lacing his voice.

"No, I need to get the herbs from my bag-"

"Honestly Aeyd- your weeds can wait an hour or two while you get some rest."

"As sweet as the concern is Der-" Aeyden spat, eyes narrowing at the sudden use of his old nickname for her. "Those puncture wounds on her arms are wounds from an Alpha and won't heal as fast. So they need to be cleaned and treated or they are going to get infected. So like I said, I _need _my bag."

Derek huffed a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, but then you're laying down. I'll go get your bag, you stay here." He said pointing to to the chair against the wall. "Sit."

Aeyden narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a puppy."

Derek sent his Uncle a pleading look, who only rolled his eyes in response, before waving him out of the room as he made his way over to Aeyden.

Derek quickly retrieved her bag from his room, glad to see Peter had managed to coax the stubborn she-wolf into sitting down, as he walked back into the room.

He sat her bag down in front of her and watched her quickly go to work. Pulling out an old wooden box that he recognized from when it used to sit on one of the bookshelves in the Nord family's den before the fire. He realized then as his eyes traced her family's pack symbol, Aegishjalmr- the helm of awe, carved into the top, the same symbol tattooed on her left forearm that sat adjacent to the triskele she supported on her right, that this box was probably the only thing she had left of them.

Lifting the lid revealed multiple vials of various herbs, none labeled. Derek found himself wondering how she managed to keep track of them. He watched her pull three different vials out, emptying the contents into what he thought to be a small mortar, quickly and carefully grounding them into a paste.

"What the hell is that? And why does it smell like that?" Peter asked, covering his nose and mouth with his hand.

Aeyden gave a short laugh, rolling her eyes at his gesture.

"It's a salve. It'll speed up the healing process a bit."

"And why do you know how to do that?" He asked, his voice muffled behind his hand.

"You don't get controlled by a witch for four years and not pick up a little something." She replied, pulling out a bottle of peroxide and a bag of clean gauze from the bag.

"What?" She asked, crossing her arms. "It's not really like I could go to the hospital if I got wounded by an Alpha-" She said, making to stand up, only to have Derek push her back down.

"No, you rest. We'll patch her up, okay?"

Aeyden pursed her lips, but stretched her legs out and leaned back against the wall. She sighed, giving him a curt nod, handing him the mortar containing the salve for Cora.

After wrapping the last bit of blood away from his sister's arm that he had missed previously as he prepared for the fight of getting Aeyden to agree to lay down for a good rest. But upon turning around he was relieved to find it might not be such a struggle. Derek smiled to himself as he watched the steady rise and fall of his mate's chest, her arms crossed across her body trying to find warmth, and her head having lolled to the side in her sleep.

As Derek bent down to pick Aeyden up his Uncle's voice shattered the moment.

"Grovel."

"Excuse me?" Derek asked, turning to face his Uncle's very smug but hard expression.

"She saved your life and now she's saved Cora's life along with your Alpha status. She may have 'abandoned' you-" He said bringing his hands up to make air quotes around the word abandoned with a sarcastic roll of the eye. "But she's the only one who's saving you. So my advice? Stop being the proud idiot you are for five seconds and beg one of the few people left in this world that truly gives a damn about you, for forgiveness." Peter huffed, looking from his nephew to the young Alpha where she slept in a very uncomfortable looking wooden chair.  
"And put her to bed, she'll get a crick in her neck like that." He ordered as he sauntered from the room.

Sighing, Derek bent down carefully sliding an arm underneath Aeyden's legs and another around her shoulders, doing his best not to wake her up as he carried her sleeping form to his room.

After laying her down on his bed and pulling the blanket up to her shoulders he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Grovel?" He muttered sourly. "Where would I even begin?"

As much as it pained him to admit it, he knew his Uncle was right. He _was _being an idiot, he w_as _being proud. But pushing everyone away was what kept the pain at bay. Or so he thought, now he was beginning to realize that it also created it.  
He was angry with her for not coming back, but mostly he was hurt. But after watching the care she took with his baby sister, after seeing the care she had for him even after the low blows he'd dealt her out of anger, her words were starting to sink in.

"What the hell is wrong with me? You're nothing like Kate-" Derek groaned, raking a hand down his face in frustration. "You're not Kate Argent."

"No shit."

Derek turned to see Aeyden groggily looking up at him, a small frown tugging at her lips.

"You're allowed to be mad at me, ya know, because I hurt you and you'll never know how sorry I am for that. But I would _never _use you. And if keeping you safe meant making you hate me then so be it, because you're all I have left Derek."

"I'm an idiot." He sighed.

"Yes, you are."

He looked at her, his eye brows raised.

"Thanks for that, Aeyd." He said gruffly, to which she gave a half smile. "And for the record, I could never hate you, I can severely dislike you and the things you do- like when you would switch your bowl of half eaten ice cream with my own when I wasn't looking-" He trailed off giving her a pointed look, as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth trying to suppress a laugh.  
"But I could never hate you, you mean the world to me. Hell, you are my world. You're my mate."

Aeyden's eyes widened ever so slightly at his admission and only when a sly smile grew across her lips did it truly hit Derek what he'd said.

Admitting it to yourself was one thing but saying it out loud was a whole other story. Aeyden had always meant a lot to him, he wasn't laying when he said she was his best friend, but it was becoming very clear as he stared at the beautiful woman lounging in his bed, that the dynamic of their relationship had changed. He took in a deep breath through his nose, relishing in the way their scents danced together on his sheets. It smelled right, she was right, they were just _right_.

And never in his life did he think he'd be looking at his childhood best friend that way, the friend he used to fight over video games with or who got to train with his mother first that day. But he had grown up and so had she, in all the right places. And as he sat there taking in every freckle, every piece of disheveled hair, Derek couldn't recall a time when he had ever wanted to kiss a woman as much as he did her in that moment.

And he did just that.

The first kiss they'd shared had been the wolf's way of reforming the mate bond, but this kiss was all him.

Derek pulled Aeyden close to him, winding his fingers through her flame-hair as he moved his mouth against hers. Her lips were stiff against his own, thinking he had moved too quickly he started to pull away, when suddenly her hands wrapped tightly around his tank top roughly pulling him flush against her and placing a bruising kiss on his lips. When the two finally pulled away from each other both were slightly out of breath and Aeyden had ended up on his lap, straddling his hips. Derek placed his forehead against hers, grinning down at her as she bit her lip grinning right back.

"So I guess you'll want me to leave then." Aeyden teased, a familiar gleam in her eyes.

"Like hell." He growled, laying a bruising kiss of his own on her slightly swollen lips, thinking to himself that he could get used to this.

* * *

_A/N: And have a bit of fluff there at the end, hah. But yay Cora! And yes I kept Derek as an Alpha, it just works for my story line. (Plus I think if he'd had the right teacher/time/maybe an emissary Derek could have been a great Alpha. Though I completely understand/like why he lost it in the show and how it changed him. But I don't think he has to keep losing things to become a 'better person,' ya know? lol  
Anyway, this is early (like whoa). And I hope you liked it. _  
_Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome and appreciated!_  
_-AeydenOrion_


	6. Phoenix Rising

_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Teen Wolf._  
_HALE PACK: Yes, Cora! And I feel you, I do like him as a Beta too. But keeping him as an Alpha for my story makes sense. And honestly do like to think it might have made him feel close to his mom. (But that's probably just my feels running away with me lol) (:  
Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that you liked how I let Derek keep his Alpha status. _  
_And special shout outs to: HALE PACK, shadow343434, Snowball A.K.A WinterWolf, Guest: rain., and Guest. Thank you all for your reviews, they're very much appreciated._

* * *

**_"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,_**  
**_A light from the shadows shall spring;_**  
**_Renewed shall be blade that was broken,_**  
**_The crownless again shall be king."- J.R.R. Tolkien_**

* * *

Phoenix Rising: [6]

"I don't understand why we can't just go back to the train station." Isaac grumbled, letting his duffle bag trail lazily behind him as he and Cora made their way over to Derek's car.

"Because it's too predictable. That will be one of the first places the Alpha pack will look for us." Derek said, not even bothering to turn around as he continued to stare at Aeyden as she swung one of her long legs over her Harley, a smug grin on her face like she knew even before she did it that he'd be distracted by it.

A low whistle had all the wolves turning to look behind them to see no other than Scott and Stiles jogging up to the group.

"_Nice ride_." Stiles said, dragging out the words as he stared at Aeyden's motorcycle, all sleek black and chrome in front of him.

Aeyden gave the human boy a half-grin, patting the side of her bike affectionately, a proud gleam in her eye that reminded Stiles of how Derek looked at his Camaro.

"Thanks, Stiles."

"What are you two doing here?" Derek asked gruffly, pulling Stiles' attention to him as he crossed his arms in his usual brooding manner.

"We thought you could use some help moving-" Scott offered, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets as he shuffled on his feet.

"We got it covered." Derek replied curtly, causing Aeyden to roll her eyes at his insistent need to turn down any kind of help.

"What he means to say, is we don't have a lot of stuff, but thanks for the offer." Aeyden said, sending an amused look Derek's way when she caught his scoff. "But you know, I've got a few things in storage that you could help me with, if you're up for it, kinda can't transport them on the back of my back."

Stiles nodded eagerly and Scott gave her a small grin in return, she may be a scary, oh strike that, _terrifying _Alpha with some kind of dark spirit inside her but she was kind of cool and a heck of a lot nicer than Derek, well when she wasn't angry anyway. Something told Scott that while she may be forthcoming at the moment, there was a fire inside her, and she was not one to be trifled with. She was the Dead-Wolf after all and even though he was completely clueless as to what that entailed, it didn't take a rocket scientist with a minor in lycanthropy to understand that she was powerful.

"If you had told me, I could've swung by and picked up your stuff up earlier." Derek grumbled, once again crossing his arms over his chest, clearly not happy with her inviting the teenagers along.

"You can't get in it without me."

"I'm pretty sure I can handle getting into a storage locker on my own, Aeyd." Derek countered with a slight roll of the eye.

"Storage locker?" She laughed. "No, not secure enough. What I need is in my family's vault. And to get in there, you'll need my blood."

Scott and Stiles turned from the She-wolf to each other, sharing an uneasy look, before turning back to her.

"Well, lead the way then, I guess." Stiles said, shrugging his shoulder at Scott's disbelieving look.

* * *

Scott smacked Stiles in the knee bringing him to attention as he pointed to where Aeyden was veering off into Beacon Hills Preserve and coming to a stop not too far from the infamous Hale house.

"_Of course_..." Stiles muttered to himself as he turned to key on his Jeep. "Of course it would be here."

Everyone filed out of their respective cars making their way over to Aeyden, who was pulling off the sleek black helmet that Stiles was sure was more for blending in than actual safety seeing as she was a freaking Alpha.

"Looks like the drive's pretty grown up." Aeyden informed, leaning over to hang her helmet on one of the handle bars of her motorcycle, gesturing in the opposite direction of Derek's house that led deeper into the preserve. "We'll have to walk from here."

_Walk?! _Stiles thought bitterly to himself. "More like a freaking hike through the jungle." He muttered, swatting away yet another branch from hitting him in the face.

"Not to be _that guy, _but are we there ye-" Stiles trailed off as the Nord house came into view. _  
_

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it sure wasn't what lay before him. Somehow it seemed worse than the Hale house, there had been no survivors here. Stiles rubbed his arms where chill bumps had formed, taking in the charred remains. He shuddered, an uneasy feeling settling in the bottom of his stomach, it was like looking at a _tomb._

As Derek watched Aeyden he took notice of her tense posture and the way her hand clinched into tight fists at her side. This was her first time seeing it, the first time she had been back here since the fire. He knew that feeling all too well. Determined not to let her bear it alone he pushed past his betas, making his way to her side, prying open her right fist, and slipping his fingers through hers.

Aeyden glanced down at their intertwined hands, before raising her eyes to meet his, offering him a tight lipped smile and a squeeze of the hand as a silent thank you before turning back to what was left of her family home. She exhaled deeply, a sigh that said what words couldn't, the sight was too much to handle, but the items she sought were too important to leave behind. So with another deep breath she let go of Derek's hand and pushed forward.

Everyone watched silently as Aeyden paused to stand in what was left of the living room, her face a mask of stone as she studied the room carefully, meticulously.

Cora hung back from the group as they entered into the space, choosing to stay in the door way, trying to take in the damage of what had been like her second home growing up. She spent many a night here in this house with Aeyden's little sister Hela, who she had become close friends with due to their similar ages. Looking at it now, it was hard to see the once beautiful cabin-esque house with all it's intricate Norse style carvings look so broken, so hollow.

She let her gaze wander over to Aeyden who was currently bent at the knees, sliding her hand against a lower section of the wall, tapping for a hollow spot. Cora saw something in Aeyden then as she watched her, emotionless and calculating, she was broken too, but like the house she still stood. Charred and burned, blackened with ash, but somehow still strong. She had always looked up to Aeyden, who despite her temper had always had a caring patience with her that had always reminded her of her mother, but never did she respect her more than in that moment. She had risen from the ashes like a phoenix, a child of the flame.

The young wolves watched carefully as Aeyden crouched down in front of a section of the singed wall, digging her fingers straight into the sheet-rock, and effortlessly pulling it back revealing a hidden passage way.

"What is this, a freaking James Bond movie?!" Stiles sputtered in a cross between disbelief and awe, gesturing wildly to the secret doorway.

Aeyden lifted her head up, giving the boy a half-grin, as her eyes burned a bloody red.

"Mind your head, it's dark down there." She warned before ducking into the doorway and out of sight.

* * *

Pulling up the flashlight app on his cellphone, Stiles stumbled through the once hidden doorway and down the stairs after the wolves.

"What are those markings?" Scott asked wearily as the hallway came to a dead end in front of a large circular carving that somewhat resembled the tattoo on Aeyden's forearm.

"They're runes." Boyd supplied easily, reaching out to trace the closest set of markings with his fingers.

"Correct." Aeyden replied, not even bothering to turn around as jerked her hand out to the side, her nails lengthening into claws.

Slowly she slid her clawed fingers into the five groves into the center of what Scott assumed to be another doorway. Aeyden turned the dial in a counter-clockwise motion, then back to it's starting position, before removing her fingers, and pushing in on the dial with the heel of her palm.

The teenagers jumped back startled as the stone wall began to move, revealing the Nord family vault, untouched by flame.

Stiles turned his phone to shine the light into the large room, moving to take a step forward only to be stopped short by Aeyden's arm as she threw it out in front of him.

"Wait, not yet."

"Wait? What, is there booby traps?" Stiles laughed.

Aeyden looked back at the human, a casual expression danced across her features like cryptic vaults and secret passageways was something she dealt with on a daily basis.

"Yeah, there are." She replied nonchalantly, walking back down the hallway only to stop at the foot of the stairs before turning back around to face the open doorway.

"Watch out." She warned, stretching her legs a little to loosen up, before taking off in a dead sprint towards the vault opening, leaping into the air, and coming to land in a kneeling position in the center of the room.

"I take it back, this has Tomb Raider written all over it." Stiles corrected his previous statement as they all watched as the She-Wolf made tight fists, digging her claws deep into the palms of her hands, allowing the blood to pool into what appeared to be a hole by her feet as she stood.

"I would make a pretty good Lara Croft." Aeyden said, a smirk playing on her lips. "You can come in now." She finished as she moved to light a few of the lanterns along the back wall.

"Arrows?" Erica asked wearily, pointing to the ceiling as she slowly walked into the room.

"Laced with the wolfsbane no doubt." Cora said as she along with the rest of the room stared up at what seemed to be hundreds of arrows just lying in wait to bring any intruder to their untimely end.

"In case someone managed to breach the first door," Aeyden began to explain. "The arrows are triggers as soon as that main door is opened and can only be disarmed by the shed of Nord family blood." She finished, gesturing over to the shallow well in the center of the room, lying full of her life essence.

Derek looked around the vault, he had only been in here once. He had been very young and truthfully didn't remember much about it.

"Are you looking for anything in-particular?" Derek asked, coming to stand beside her watching as she stared intently at the book shelves that lined the whole back wall.

"Grab the ones with the silver spirals on the spines and well- anything that looks useful I guess." Aeyden replied, nodding to the books in front of them.

"What's so special about the ones with spirals on the side?" Isaac asked as she spotted one on the top shelf above him.

"Yeah I mean it's not like the pages are stuffed with mon-" Stiles trailed off as twenty or more hundred dollars bills fell from the pages of the book as he shook it.

He stared wide-eyed down at the large sum of cash at his feet before looking up to the book shelf to take a quick inventory of the books that met the criteria. There must have been at least forty of them.

"Dude, you're loaded!" Stiles sputtered, looking over at Aeyden who only raised an eyebrow in response.

"And it only took arson and murder to get me there." The Alpha female sassed, a very un-amused look on her face as she rolled her eyes at him.

Derek and Cora simultaneously sent a glare Stiles' way.

"Just find the books so we can get out of here, it's kinda creepy down here." Erica requested as she wearily eyed the chains that had once been used for full moons that lay in the far corner or the room.

* * *

_A/N: I know it's been over a month but I'm just been under a lot of stress with financial aid for school, so writing has been taking a back burner. But regardless I hope you enjoy the chapter, I added a little Stiles silliness and some glimpse into her relationship with Cora when they were growing up._  
_As always thank you for reading and reviewing and just all that awesome stuff. You're reviews make me smile._  
_Have a lovely day guys, run free._  
_-AeydenOrion_


	7. AN: Decisions

Alright guys, here's the thing...  
I'm having to bust out 8 pages papers left and right for the bachelor's degree program I'm in and it has kind of succeeded in sucking out all the joy from writing for me lately.  
And as much as I hate to say it, I've lost my muse for this story- that paired with the fact I stopped watching Teen Wolf. I still love the characters dearly, but I disliked the direction season 4 was going...  
I got stuck on defeating the alpha pack and couldn't make my mind up where it was going or how I wanted it to go so for now, until when or if I find inspiration for this story again, it's on hold.  
Though I feel it's only fair to you guys to publish the scenes I've pre-written even though they fall in future.  
I hope to come back and finish this eventually, but right now with my class load all I'm good for is one-shots so maybe look for some of those from me.  
I apologize immensely! And wanted to thank you so very much for sticking with me this long.  
Remember to look for the pre-written scenes, they'll take place after the Alpha pack (all except for one which will be what I had written of chapter 7).

Run free, my friends.  
-aeydenorion


	8. Wildfire

**_"It's burning out of control,_**  
**_love like I've never known,_**  
**_lighting us up tonight._**

**_So let's get lost in the flames,_**  
**_just got out hearts to blame,_**  
**_you touch me, I ignite." -Sam Tsui_**

* * *

Wildfire [7]

* * *

"So what's the plan for the Alpha pack?" Stiles asked from his spot on the empty loft floor, mouth half full of lo-mein noodles.

"I figured we'd just kill 'em." Aeyden answered easily as she and Derek traded food containers, her General Tso chicken for his Sesame.

"And exactly how do you plan on doing that?" Stiles sputtered, "I mean I know you're this infamous Dead-Wolf or whatever but have you seen Ennis?! He's huge and don't even get me started on the hulking form those twins take."

Aeyden couldn't help but grin at the boy's theatrics as she leaned over to snag a wonton from the bag in the middle of the group with her chopsticks.

"You're a teenager in high school, I figured you'd be familiar with the concept of "winging it." She replied, try again to dunk her wonton into the sweet n' sour sauce that came with Peter's chicken only to have her hand swatted away, yet again.

Cora, who was outright snickering at this point, took pity on her and slid her own sweet n' sour sauce over to Aeyden as she laughed even harder at the face the older wolf made at her Uncle in return.

"Stingy-" Aeyden scolded, before turning to Cora with a grin. "You always were my favorite." She winked, dipping the deep fried piece of heaven into the sauce before popping the whole thing into her mouth with a satisfied hum.

Derek raised his eyebrows at the she-wolf while Peter rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"Oh please, we both know Derek's your favorite." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Aeyden narrowed her eyes at the older wolf, not conforming, but certainly not denying it, and that was enough for Peter, who rewarded her with a smug grin.

* * *

The Betas along with Stiles and Scott had long since went home and Cora and Isaac had finally given and had trekked off to find a room. It was Sunday after all and much to their disapproval they did have to get up for school in the morning.

"So what's your real plan?" Derek asked once the Alpha pair had made their way into their designated room, pulling his charcoal hued henley off over his head, letting it fall into a heap on the floor with his jeans.

Aeyden looked up from her seat on the loft floor, where she was unlacing her boots, giving him a deadpan look as if to reiterate that she was in fact not joking about her statement from earlier in the evening.

"They either turn tail and run or we take out the threat."

"And?" He asked, drawing out the word, his eyebrows raised in an expectant manner.

Aeyden huffed a sigh as she rose from the floor, quickly unbuttoning her jeans, letting them pool around her ankles before stepping out of them and jerking off her favorite Captain America shirt only to exchange it for Derek's discarded henley from the floor.

"I want Deucalion- you leave him to me."

Derek froze, her words may as well have been another language, as her scent dominated his senses. He stood back taking a moment to fully admire the sight before him. In front of him Aeyden stood tall, in nothing but his shirt, and he couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the peaches-and-cream skin that was her bare thighs.

"_Damn her_," He thought, "she has legs for days."

Call him a typical male, say that he was an animal. Shout it to all of Beacon Hills, to the entire state of California, he didn't care. Because there was just something so _erotic_ to him about his scent on her. And in that moment it was all he could think about.  
Forget Deucalion, forget the Alpha pack. She had set fire to something inside him, and only _she_ could extinguish the flames.

He was consumed by it. His mating instincts were taking control, creeping up hard and fast.  
Derek shivered from the anticipation, his breath coming out shaky as his imagination wandered.

"_Yes_," He thought, "That's exactly how I want her_, hard and fast."_

He wanted her under him. He wanted to hear his name on her breath as she came undone. He wanted to _claim_ her. The scent from his shirt and what little lingered from his bed sheets wasn't enough for him, the wolf in him would only be satisfied when she smelt like him _inside_ and out.

Aeyden's head tilted to the side, an eyebrow raised in question, as Derek's arousal hit her full force.

_"That was awfully sudden," _She thought. And it was strong, coming off him in tsunami sized waves.

"Derek?"

Her voice only seemed to succeed in arousing him further, as it sent an all but too visible tremor up his spine, like a sudden cold chill. But the goose flesh that was rising on his skin wasn't due to the temperature in the room, which she found to be climbing by the minute.

His pupils were dilated, his eyes had darkened, and the were trained on _her._

* * *

_A/N: This one's short ('cause it's unfinished but this is what I had of chapter 7 so I thought I'd put it up. I was shooting for some cute pack moments before the fight scene and death to come- but alas this was as far as I got). And yes, there was supposed to be a smutty scene here- I may come back and write it later. But if that's what you're looking for, I think you might like the next update I'm about to post after this (; lol_  
_-AeydenOrion_


	9. Bound

**_"You're a goddess in the bedroom_**  
**_Devil in the skintights_**  
**_Drug that, I'm hooked to_**  
**_But it's okay, I'll be alright._**  
**_Tried my best to please you_**  
**_Show you want it means to_**  
**_Be a victim of love." - Chris Brown_**

* * *

Bound

* * *

Aeyden bent down slowly, to grab a book from one of the many stacks on the floor, fully aware of Derek's gaze on her backside. She sent a smirk over her shoulder as she straightened up, a little more sway in her hips as she made her way over to the chair across from him. She grinned to herself at the low rumble that came from his side of the room as she straddled the chair, her chest leaned against the back of it, as she rested her arms on the top with the book obscuring her face from his view.

Book or not, Derek could envision that shit eating grin of hers. She was purposefully trying to rile him up and _damn_ was it working. The mate bond, even though unbound, made every little action either of them did amplify ten fold. The want to claim what was his and complete the bond was strong as it urged him forward.

Derek sat his own book down, raising up from his chair, closing the distance between them in two short strides. Aeyden pulled the book down, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Something I can do for you, Derek?"

Derek's lips tugged into a smirk at her playfulness.

"Actually, now that you mention it…" He trailed off as he snatched the book out of her hands, taking her chin between his thumb and his forefinger crashing his lips down onto hers.

Aeyden smiled into the kiss, chuckling as he growled, and pulled her up from the chair when she took his bottom lip between her teeth. She laid both of her hands on his chest, playfully shoving him back to his arm chair, straddling his legs like the chair she had previously occupied.

Derek's hands naturally fell to her hips, fingers slipping into the waistband of her sweats, pulling her up against him, and claiming her lips hungrily.

Aeyden's arms slid around his neck, fingers threading into his dark locks, tugging lightly when his hips ground against hers.

Derek bucked his hips against hers again, creating a friction that had her moaning softly against his mouth, her nails leaving a trail of fire all the way from his scalp down to where they came to rest on his bare lower back. His own hands sliding swiftly up under the hem of her shirt, tugging it off over her head.

Now completely un-obscured, Derek's lips found Aeyden's neck, trailing kisses along her shoulder until the wolf found the spot he was searching for, the little dip above her collarbone, the place he would mark her as his. She was pressed so close against him he felt the sharp intake of breath when he nuzzled his nose against the sensitive spot.

"Aeyden?" His breath came, hot against her neck.

"Mm?" She hummed her reply, eyes still closed from the sensation of him being so close.

"I want to give you something…" He trailed off, laying a tender kiss to the intended marking place. "That is, if you'll have me."

Aeyden pulled back from him, searching his face with a raised eyebrow. She almost looked, _angry_. But before Derek could even try to fix whatever blunder he had made, her hand collided with his shoulder with a loud thwack.  
Rubbing his shoulder at the point of impact he watched as Aeyden pinched the bridge of her nose, taking in a deep breath before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Aeyden I-"

"Derek Hale, I swear you are one of the thickest people I have ever met." She said, her eyes flashing alpha red before hungrily reclaiming his lips with her own as she slowly rolled her hips against him, creating a sweet friction that had _him_ moaning into _her_ mouth this time.

Derek's eyes flashed crimson in response as she slid off his lap to step out of her sweatpants that he had already managed to pull past her hips, wasting no time as she discarded her remaining articles of clothing as well.

Aeyden's back collided with Derek's bare chest as he pulled her urgently up against him, his hard on pressed against her ass. Her head lolled back against his shoulder as one hand snaked around her body palming her left breast, as the other sliding over her stomach and across her inner thigh until it found its destination between her legs. Her body shuddered against him from the initial contact of his long fingers making languid strokes against her sex, her ass jerking backwards into his hardened member as he encircled her clit.

He easily drug her back to the armchair, his fingers never once leaving her heat. He turned her to face him as they sat back, feeling the need to see her face as he slid one finger, two fingers, into her hot core. Aeyden jerked against Derek's fingers as a calloused thumb made work of her sensitive button.

She groaned into his neck when she felt his fingers leave her, lifting her head to look at him. Red eyes bore into red as he lifted her up by the hips, positioning himself at her opening, and slowly easing inside.

Aeyden bit her lip, leaning her forehead against the spot on his neck she intended to mark later on. It wasn't the first time her and Derek had had sex and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but there was just something about this particular moment in time. There was something about the intention of it, it left her super aware of how well they fit against each other, of how he filled her, and as cliché as it sounded, how they seemed to be made for each other.

Aeyden rolled her hips against him letting him know it was in fact okay for him to move. He moved slow at first, but when Derek felt her nip at the dip between his neck and collarbone the teasing pace went out the window. He felt her groan into his neck at the quickened pace, her fangs trailing across his skin. Derek dug at the flesh of her thighs with clawed hands, a low growl building in his chest as her fangs finally pierced his flesh, setting him aflame.

Retracting her fangs, Aeyden tongued the mark, _her mark_, teasingly blowing over the highly sensitive area taking pleasure in the noises she could bring out of him.

Derek watched her carefully as she pulled back, red lustful eyes burning into his, biting her lip as she slowly exposed her neck to him. It was an act of submission that no wolf did lightly, let alone an alpha, and he couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face at her trusting him so completely.

Paying no attention to the sound of the door opening or the human's scent he'd come to know as Stiles, Derek wasted no time in burying his nose into her neck. Derek heard Aeyden's breath hitch in her throat as his thrusts became urgent, feeling her chest press tight against his own.

"Derek, Sc- Holy god!" Stiles sputtered, stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes wide as saucers at the sight before him. A very naked Derek and a very naked Aeyden, totally getting it on in the middle of the living-room-esque area.

Aeyden groaned, her head falling back to the side, making eye contact with a very shocked and very embarrassed Stiles. She smirked at him, an amused look in her intense red eyes, but thankfully for Stiles the awkward eye contact was cut short by Derek roughly thrusting into Aeyden, successfully bringing all her attention back to him as he sunk his fangs into the crook of her neck. Stiles, finally finding the use of his legs again, took the loss of eye contact as an opening to high-tail it out of there.

A tomato red Stiles quickly rushed to stop Scott from making the same mistake he had only to find his so called friend bracing himself against the hood of his jeep from laughing so hard.

"Wait, you knew?" Stiles sputtered.

Scott looked up only to burst out laughing again from the look of sheer horror on his friend's face, giving him as much of a nod as he could manage.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, buddy. Payback's a bitch. That was more of Derek than I ever wanted to see." He shuddered. "But Aeyden, man. She-"

A loud growl from inside quickly cut Stiles off, 'causing him to shrink back a bit behind Scott.

"Careful Stiles," Peter said, appearing out of nowhere like he always did. "That's Derek's mate you're talking about." Peter finished, a look on his face somewhere between proud and disgust. He was happy for them and it was hard to escape the fact that they were adults, but it was hardly something he wanted to think about.

"Mate?"

"Mhm." Peter hummed his reply.

"So what, he's peeing on his territory?" Stiles mocked only to be answered by an even louder growl, this one definitely Aeyden's, 'causing Stiles to shrink completely behind Scott now.

"Not quite." Peter began, rolling his eyes at the human. "It's a more permanent mark, a bite, that will leave a scar. It binds them as one, their scents and power commingling. It also acts as a warning to other wolves, that they've been claimed. It's a very sacred and intimate ritual, that it would seem you have interrupted, so good luck with that." He finished, giving Stiles a completely unsympathetic but absolutely amused look.

* * *

_A/N: I don't write smut often but I kinda liked this and of course I had to add in the little part with Stiles, 'cause the dork would probably walk in on something like that if we're being real here. lol Hope you liked it, thanks for sticking with me. There's a few more scenes to come.  
-AeydenOrion_


	10. Familie

**"Somebody real is hard to find**  
**Somebody worth all your time**  
**Somebody who can tell you the truth**  
**Someone who loves you for you**  
**Someone who knows all of your flaw and**  
**Doesn't impose, try to control them**  
**Lets you be free**  
**Doesn't deceive and**  
**Gives you a chance to believe**  
**Believe in something"  
\- Tink**

* * *

Familie

* * *

Aeyden had decided to relax while Derek was off with Scott helping him and Stiles out with Odin only knows what sticky situation they had gotten themselves into this time. She was currently enjoying having full run of their queen sized bed, though she'd much rather have Derek lying beside her, Aeyden was a tall woman and sometimes it was nice just to stretch out her long limbs.

She had almost drifted off into dream-land when her sensitive ears picked up a shuffling in the hall, attributing it to the hoard of teenagers that came and went under their roof, she just shrugged and turned back over. But upon hearing the door knob turn, Aeyden sat up, expecting to see Derek's handsome face staring back at her from the doorway, but was instead met with the sight of their betas- _all_ of them. Her brain running away with her and automatically thinking of the worst, she sat up a little straighter.

"Everything okay?" She asked slowly, eying them closely.

They all look back at her, awkwardly shifting from side to side on their feet.

Aeyden raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to speak, but quickly found herself cut off by Isaac.

"I can't sleep on that tiny pull-out couch with Boyd anymore!" He sighed dramatically, throwing his arms up in frustration, reminding her a lot of Stiles.

Aeyden chuckled looking over at Boyd, who quickly nodded in agreement.

"We figured since Der-" "I mean we thought you migh-" Both boys started at the same time, ready to defend their request which had Aeyden biting the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing at how much they were acting like children being afraid to be scolded by their dad so of course went to their mom instead.

Aeyden raised a hand, quickly silencing them, before turning an amused grin on Erica and Cora.

"And what's your excuse?"

"I wasn't gonna miss out on the dog pile." Cora answered with a bored shrug of the shoulders, 'causing Aeyden to outright snort as she pulled back the covers her and her mate's silly betas.

"Get in." She replied, shaking her head, laughter evident in her voice.

* * *

When Derek returned the next morning, dragging his tired body up the stairs to have a much needed rest snuggled up to his beautiful mate what he found waiting for him in his bedroom was certainly not what he was expecting, but he couldn't seem to fight away the grin that was pulling at his lips and made its way across his face at the sight before him, and oh boy where they a sight.

All curled up in his and Aeyden's bed were his betas with his mate sandwiched in between them.

Derek leaned against the doorframe taking in the sight a bit longer, smiling at the flood of memories it brought back of him and his siblings, and by the grin on Aeyden's beautiful face it was doing the same for her.

Before Aeyden the pack had always been missing something, but seeing them together now- all sprawled out in their bed made him realize, it was the family aspect that Derek had come to associate with pack, and she completed it.

Aeyden wriggled her arms free from Isaac, twisting her body to lean over Cora to grab her phone from the bedside table, checking the time. Nearly 8 o'clock, they were going to be late for school of they didn't get up.

Derek watched in amusement as Aeyden tried to rouse the sleeping betas without much luck, Isaac burying his head under the pillow to get away from her, Erica and Boyd covering their heads with the comforter, and Cora just simply rolling over to ignore her. He couldn't keep in his chuckle as she tried to pry the pillow from off of Isaac's face, failing miserably.

Aeyden let out an annoyed sigh, blowing the hair that had escaped from here now messy bun out of her face, before turning her frustrated gaze on Derek.

"They're gonna be late, a little help here?"

Derek cleared his throat as he stepped into the room.

"Boyd, Erica- up. Isaac detach yourself from my mate. _Cora_. Get up, you're going to school." He said firmly, giving no room for protest.

His only answer was a chorus of groans, though none of them tried to fight him on it as they made their way out of bed. Boyd was up first, shortly followed by Erica, the two racing out of the room to try and grab the first shower while Isaac slowly untangled himself from both the sheets and Aeyden's warm embrace, groggily stumbling towards the kitchen mumbling almost incoherently about finding food, Cora trailing not far behind.

"How did yo- Seriously?" Aeyden huffed, obviously annoyed.

"I'm the Alpha." Derek replied, smug look locked in place as he winked at her, to which she rolled her eyes before falling back into bed with a groan.

"I thought you didn't want kids." He teased, sliding into bed with herm an amused look on his face.

Aeyden let out a laugh, turning her head to meet his gaze.

"Derek, I was 8 when I told you that, right after I swore I was gonna marry Peter when I grew up."

He could barely hold in the snort as he pictured an 8 year old Aeyden, all sass, with her hands on her hips- rolling her eyes at him and stomping on his foot when he told her of course she was going to have children she was a girl- duh. Looking back on it now, he deserved it and he was lucky he only got his foot stomped on. His laughter fueled her own and they were both still laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to rest half on top of him as she buried his nose in her hair to take in her scent.

"While we're on the subject, there was something I wanted to run by you."

Aeyden lifted her head from Derek's chest to look at him, his voice taking a sudden serious tone.

"Oh?"

He paused, a thoughtful look on his face, not really sure how she was going to react to his idea. He hadn't exactly been sure of it himself at first, but there was something about seeing how his betas warmed up to his mate that pushed him forward.

"You're good with the betas- they respect you, especially Isaac." He paused looking to see her brow furrowed in confusion but that was about as much of a reaction as he got before she was nodding to him to continue.

"I was thinking- I mean he lives here anyway and I know it won't be long until he's legally considered an adult, but maybe we could offer a little more stability to his life until then… I mean-"

"What are you getting at Derek?"

"Adopt him. You and me adopt Isaac."

Derek watched her closely, eyebrows extending up into her hairline, her heartrate increasing as she processed what he had just said, and her eyes never leaving his own.

Aeyden bit her lip as her nerves took hold. She was 23, what did she know about taking care of kids, let alone teenagers? Though if she was being honest with herself she had practically raised her younger siblings before the fire, but that felt like a lifetime ago, and well- she'd managed to survive virtually all on her own for 6 years and she'd turned out alright. _Right? _And Derek was right, Isaac was practically like their kid already, now it'd just be official.

"Aeyden?" Derek asked, uncertainty in his voice, heartbeat a little faster, her silence feeding his nerves.

"Do you think Isaac would like that?"

Before he could even open his mouth to answer he was cut off by the door swinging open.

"Yes he would, Isaac would like that very much." Isaac said quickly from where he stood in the doorway, awkwardly picking at the hem of his shirt.

The two Alphas shared a look before Derek broke the silence.

"You know- it'd probably be easier to adopt him if we were actually married."

Aeyden pulled back from him, sitting up fully as she turned to face him her eyebrow raised in question.

"Are you asking me to _marry_ you, Derek Hale?"

"Well- I mean, uh. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to ask but- uh the opportunity presented itself and yes. Yes I am." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, internally grimacing as he stumbled over his words.

_"__Smooth, _Derek, real smooth." He thought to himself.

Had it been any other woman he'd never be this tongue tied. But Aeyden just had this unnatural gift of making him look like an idiot, he was almost certain it was a secret super power of hers.

"Aeyden Hale- has a certain _ring_ to it." She said with a grin.

And just liked that she had reduced him to an idiotic mess as that goofy grin that only she could create, spread across his face.

"It does-" He paused only grin over at her. "Should I take that as a yes or…?"

He was slightly caught off guard when her lips came down on his own, her right hand coming up to cup his chin, pulling him closer as she kissed him soundly.

She pulled back, remembering Isaac was still in the doorway, placing her forehead against his. She breathed out a laugh at the dazed look in his eyes. This was a side of Derek she loved, a side that was all her own, and it struck a fire inside of her veins knowing that he wanted to share his name with her, his family with her.

"You can take _that_ as a yes."

"It's about damn time, I was starting think you really were holding out for Uncle Pete." Cora teased as she came slightly into the room, leaning on the side of the doorway opposite to Isaac.

Derek and Aeyden rolled their eyes at his little sister, both releasing their own version of a snort in amusement of Aeyden marrying Peter.

"Yep," Cora said, pulling a face. "6 years later and it's still weird when you do things in unison."

"You guys are gonna be late if you don't get going, we'll talk more about this later." Aeyden said, sending them a small smile.

"Come on Isaac that's code for, "your brother and I are about to celebrate our engagement by getting freaky." Cora said, steering the wide-eyed beta out of the room, dodging the pillows the completely mature acting Alphas threw at her retreating form with a laugh.

"We need a place with actual doors." Derek grumbled into Aeyden's neck, pulling her back to his chest as he laid down again.

"Well- while we're on the subject." She said, mocking his word choice from earlier. "I have something to run by _you_."

"Yeah?" He asked, meeting her golden eyes seeing a hint of nervousness he wasn't used to seeing their.

"I actually think I've found the perfect place. It's a bit of a fixer upper, but a lot of room and a lot of land for pack stuff."

Derek raised an eyebrow, her quickened heartbeat not going unnoticed. Why was she so nervous? It was just a house.

"And where is this house that's captured my mate's eye?"

Aeyden grinned a little, she'd never get tired of him calling her that.

"Oh you know, near the preserve."

Derek sat up, partially pulling her with him, knowing full and well she was talking about the Nord and Hale properties. He was hit with so many emotions all at once he couldn't even think about forming words. It would be painful, he knew that, gutting what remained of the structure that once housed all his childhood memories. But even though he knew that, the pain couldn't chill the warmth that spread through him at the thought of rebuilding it with her, breathing life into it again, bringing pack and family back into its halls.

"You want to rebuild my family home with me?"

"Yeah, well I mean technically the property alr-"

Derek cut her off with his lips, kissing her passionately, trying to share the warmth that she had given him. Every time he thought she couldn't surprise him anymore, his mate knocked him on his ass again. He'd never be able to get over what she did to him, how she somehow took all his broken pieces, melted them together with her own, and made him whole again.

"And I want to fill that house with you."

Aeyden's eyes widened at the almost wistful tone in his voice, her face falling a little because he just sounded so happy by the idea, but the truth was she didn't know if she could give him that.

"Derek I don't- uh..." She paused, trying to find the right words, watching as the smile on his face tugged into a tense line.

"I thought you'd wan-"

"Oh god, Derek no. No, no. I _want_ to have children with you." She amended quickly. "I just don't know if I _can_. Being brought back from the dead could have screwed something up down there and I just don't want you to get your hopes up. I just- ugh. I'm sorry- I."

"Hey, hey…" He said cupping her face in hands. "There is nothing to be sorry for. But like you said, you don't know for sure. _If_ it turns out that you can't we'll deal with it. We can ask Deaton if you'd like, okay? But don't you ever apologize, I'd rather it be just us the rest of our life than not have you at all."

Aeyden nodded against his neck, nuzzling her nose against the spot where she marked him as hers.

"Well-" She breathed out against his neck, pausing to lay a kiss there taking satisfaction in the shiver it sent through him. "There's only one way we're gonna find out for sure." She finished, sinking her fangs into his skin reopening her mark.

* * *

_A/N: Wow, this is a long one compared to my previous updates. This has been sitting in a notebook of mine since summer and I figured you might like to see it. So here have some fluff lol I hope you enjoyed, thanks for the sticking with me.  
-AeydenOrion_


End file.
